Sunday, February 03, 2008

Twenty Some Odd Questions...Finale

This is the last installment of the Interview I held via email with a former IBO, Chris.

Based on the feedback left, it's been well received. If you've enjoyed this, please take a moment to leave "Chris" a quick thanks in the comments. I know I certainly grew from it and enjoyed getting to know another North American former IBO.

One more thing, if there is any IBO who is active, anyone from the Corporation reading this (I know you are peeking in from time to time), or any other person who has been involved in Amway or Quixtar that doesn't feel that this is an accurate depiction of what happens, I'd be happy to interview you as well in order for you to explain how your experience differed.

If anyone has any questions for Chris, feel free to leave a comment, and Chris can either leave a comment or get me to post it.

13. Had any big pins quit during your involvement?Numerous. Platinums & above upline, crossline, and across the board in other lines of affiliation.

14. How was that explained?

It was never mentioned. If anyone would ask, the upline at all levels would respond that they don’t participate in gossip because that’s negative.

15. Who did the leaders of your group recommend getting information from, them or Amway?

Them. Never Amway/Quixtar. That was to go through the upline Platinum in that if we had any issues, we were to bring that to the Platinum’s attention who would supposedly deal with it. We were told that the company would be inundated with too many calls & it was better to let one person handle that.

16. During your tenure, did you see a consistent attendance, a decline, or an increase of people at functions?

It would go in spurts. Around 2002, there was an obvious decline in attendance & that slowly increased until I quit.

17. What was said about the internet, Dateline NBC, and other materials that portrayed the business in a less than positive light? That's kind of a bad question, but other than they were all wrong, was there anything that stands out like someone agreeing that the business isn't perfect?

Mostly it was all identified as garbage and lies. It was explained that all wealthy companies and organizations are targets for being sued or at least bad-mouthed. We were also told that the business isn’t perfect because after all, nothing on the planet is, but it was always followed by the assertion that in spite of that the Amway/Quixtar business opportunity was by far the best available out there.18. When did you start to consider quitting the business and what were the reasons for that?

Answered in #6 above. I quit the business more because of what I saw happen to good people than what was happening to me. I was outraged by that.

19. What was the reaction of your upline/sponsor/leaders? Were you asked to reconsider?

There was no interaction with me at all. No one mentioned a thing about it. I was not asked to reconsider nor was I asked why I quit.

20. What were the ramifications of doing this business for your personal life now that you've decided not to do it? Is it better/worse?

Better, by far. For a long, long time I felt insulted that I had placed myself in a position to be used like that, and because I was so trusting, I refused to see the truth & the bigger picture a lot sooner. For a long, long time I felt I had betrayed people’s trust by involving them in the business. Over time & a lot of personal introspection, I have resolved those issues. Now, as I look back, I am not at all sorry for any of my involvement. Or the money I “threw in the ditch”. Becoming who I am now made the cost of all that worth it. And I really don’t think I would know as much as I do now about understanding people if I hadn’t had that experience. It all just reinforces my belief that everything happens for a reason. In my experience, those reasons don’t become apparent unless & until a couple of years go by AND one completes a lot of personal introspection. I still think the ideal of the business opportunity/concept is a good one but it fails miserably in its application. I have learned an immense amount of information that I would not have even ventured to without having been actively involved in the business. I have become a walking “lie-detector”, I can spot a con-artist and a manipulator a mile away, I have become much, much less politically correct which in my mind is a form of lying. Although I was a direct communicator before, I have to watch myself because I can be quite brutal at times now. I have very little patience for fools. I have no tolerance for users/abusers of people/systems/organizations. I recognize “spins” when I hear them. I recognize “gas lighting” when I hear it. I know the difference between a wanna-be leader and a true leader. I recognize negative human traits and have learned how to handle them when confronted by them. I find I am quite pleased to see that there is truth in “what goes around comes around” and that there really is such a thing as “natural justice.” “Natural justice” to me is what happens when you can do nothing about something that is just wrong; just leave it alone/be patient, & over time, something always comes along to put things right again. I am now able to “cut through the noise” and focus on/analyze the underlying issues, work on those & things fall into place better now. I recognize that life truly is the best teacher & learning lessons happens in each individual’s time. I strive to attempt to control outcomes a lot less and positively influence more. I become engaged/react to drama/hype way less often. I am able to detach effectively from negative events/people. I laugh much more often and am amused by people’s resistance to live in reality.

21. In your opinion, what type of person is likely to be attracted to the A/Q business opportunity?

I truly believe that the people who are attracted to the business opportunity/concept and become actively involved are basically very good people who truly want to succeed in life and provide the best they can for their families. Because of the negative we are bombarded with on a daily basis in our day-to-day lives, these people are very vulnerable to believing they will be hanging around positive trustworthy people who will truly help them succeed. This vulnerability allows them to be easily manipulated, mind controlled and abused. Unfortunately, as far too many reach upper levels in the business, they allow their personal integrity to become compromised and in their quest to become a true leader, they fail miserably. I think that’s because the focus is on the money instead of the people. When people realize it’s one lie after another, they quit. The retention rate in the business is very, very dismal. That’s not the case in true leadership organizations.

7 Comments:

Anna28 said...

Excellent post!!! Thanks Chris for taking the time, you really shed some light on the whole thing...it was very enlightening. Thanks Rocket for taking the time to put it all together. I hope IBO's read this and get something from it.

I do not doubt the validity of “Chris’” experience from 1995-2005. I am sure he/she is one of thousands with that experience.Just wondering if we can find out what the experience is today for the brand new IBO. Maybe it’s too early to tell? Maybe people won’t believe someone’s experience unless they’ve been in for over a year or so?Maybe to see the experiences of IBOs as of June 2008, one year after the name change to "Amway Global" was announced in June 2007, and all the not-so-ethical LOAs started to show their truth colors.I believe the Corp made that move as way to squeeze out all the crap, like “Chris” mentions, that was going on that had nothing to do with the actual Quixtar/Amway Sales and Marketing Plan.I am pleased at the changes the Corp has been making to combat what has happened:*A new registration process to eliminate the manipulation of the LOS*The QBOB which states very clearly how money is made—by retailing products, and if it appeals to you, sponsoring others to do the same*The mandatory 16-minute “Welcome” video which goes over the history of Amway, as well as all the info from the QBOB, with a quiz at the end. (It’s mandatory if you want to receive any income from Quixtar/Amway)*The follow-up random phone calls, asking new IBOs the name of their sponsor and if they know them personally*All the new QBI money, particularly the money given to IBOs in their first 90 days for retailing products—to real customers, with unique log-ins, online* The new, more thorough self-reporting of offline retail sales. It’s easier to sell a product than try to manipulate that module.*Free shipping for all customers for orders over $75. I really like this one, because those who just want to buy products and not sell them or sponsor anyone, have a better deal than if they paid the IBO registration fee and had to pay shipping (after the first 90 days in which the new IBOs all get free shipping)*The new lines of products that are retailable, like Artistry Essentials and Simply Nutrilite.* The millions of dollars being spent to build the Nutrilite and Artistry brands.* Quixtar University, teaching fantastic ways to market the products.*The new QBI money offered to FOUNDERS Emeralds and FOUNDERS Diamonds. This is forcing the higher pins to produce Q-12 Platinums. Platinums that make money and not just wear the pin.* The emails from the top leadership like Steve Lieberman at the Corp that all IBOs are now getting, not just Platinums and above.To name a few. :)I appreciate “Chris” sharing his/her experience, because when I have new IBOs go online and read such stories, they come back to me and say, “Wow, that’s not my experience at all.” And I say, “Yep. And it never will be—at least not with me.”Thanks “Chris”. You are helping those of us who are building our businesses right.

Transformer, please read a comment "Chris" wished to post in response to what you've written.

Chris said:

I really appreciate the positive comments. Rocket deserves the credit not only for the idea & the request but also for his time & work involved in putting it all together then posting it. I hope this helps former, current, and future IBOs too.

To Transformer:

I appreciate your efforts in informing us all of the changes that Quixtar is initiating. We already knew all of that information. Can you tell us and your new IBOs why these changes have been initiated? What prompted them? Further to that, what changes have been initiated in the AQMOs to prevent similar experiences to mine and many, many others? Accreditation will not address the majority of the issues, so that one doesn’t count.

”I appreciate “Chris” sharing his/her experience, because when I have new IBOs go online and read such stories, they come back to me and say, “Wow, that’s not my experience at all.” And I say, “Yep. And it never will be—at least not with me.” Thanks “Chris”. You are helping those of us who are building our businesses right.”

Your “new” IBOs tell you that’s not their experience at all? How can it be? They’re “new.” I see you have reassured them that none of my experiences will happen to them. My upline told me that too. How can you guarantee that? Do you have control of what your upline says or how it interacts with your downline? I sincerely hope you do build your business right & if I have helped you in any way, you’re welcome.

If my experience is not reflective of yours or mine is “too old”, read Rocket’s introduction & seriously consider responding to his request to interview an IBO with a differing experience.

Thankyou for all that!!! Im an IBO, and its been great reading these posts! Its been a good reminder to keep my eyes and ears open all the time, even from the people i trust. So far i have loved being an IBO. It has been fantastic. all the stories ive heard on the net are nothing like ive been experiencing. i work with an honest and open team, and after reading your post i can see how it can go terribly wrong!thanx for taking the time to warn people thinking of becoming an IBO and also IBOs who are currently in a situation like "chris"wztslcd